we are less than 2a hours away from the casting of the first votes of the first stage of 2024 us presidential election. here in iowa, republican voters will gather across the state for its caucuses monday evening to kick off the party's nomination process. this town—hall style voting with secret ballots is a critical indicator of how voters here are feeling, and the results here can have a significant impact on the momentum of presidential campaigns. the democratic party will also begin its candidate nomination process here. former us president donald trump begins caucus day with major momentum to win the state, with candidates such as governor ron desantis and former governor and ambassador nikki haley competing to take his place as leader of the party. it's set to be a historic night, notjust because of the political drama surrounding former president donald trump and his republican primary challengers. but because of the frigid weather in the past week,

iowa has been rocked by blizzards, with life—threatening temperatures. heavy snowfall has made travel difficult and dangerous. and on monday, when voters head to the in—person caucuses, the temperatures will fall dangerously low. here in des moines, the national weather service predicts a high of —1 degree fahrenheit. that's —18 degrees celsius. the low is forecast to be —10 degrees fahrenheit, or —23 degrees celsius. things are more dire when you consider wind—chill effects. those stepping out the door may feel like they are experiencing temperatures of —30 degrees fahrenheit, or —34 degrees celsius. that hasn't stopped some volunteers who continued to canvass through the snow in the race's final days. but will the majority of voters brave the bitter temperatures to attend the in—person caucuses? experts are watching to see if and how turnout in monday's voting is impacted by the extreme weather.

the candidates spent sunday imploring voters to plan to vote monday while giving their closing arguments to voters on why they should lead the party forward. no matter how hard they try, it not make any difference. we will never give up and never surrender. in the end, we will win a win. if you willjoin with us, if you will bring and caucus, you will bring friends and family with you, i promise you, our best days are yet to come. i'll be a candidate that - will help sweep us to victory all across the land. i'll be a leader that- you can always be proud of. and as your president, i will win these fights for you. - i will lead this countryl and i promise i will not let you down. i'm asking for your vote tomorrow night to take our america first movement to the next level. america first doesn't belong to me. it doesn't belong to trump. it belongs to you.

donald trump has led the republican field since he entered the race in late 2022. throughout the last year, a slew of republicans threw their hats in the ring as alternatives to the former president. debates were held without the former president, who declined every invitation tojoin his rivals on stage, but his support remained remarkably steady. he has led by a wide margin in poll after poll among likely republican primary voters. in the well—respected des moines register poll with nbc news released saturday night, 48% of respondents said they would vote for donald trump. 20% for former south carolina governor nikki haley. 16% for florida governor ron desantis. and less than 10% said they will vote for businessman vivek ramaswamy. the bbc�*s carl nasman is here in iowa, currently following florida governor ron desantis.

how is ron desantis feeling going into monday's votes? he sees me feeling pretty good tonight. this was the site of one of his last stops of the campaign trail before caucus day tomorrow, giving his final bits, the voters herejust outside the capital city, this was a raucous scene, just a few hours ago, a standing room only crowd here as the governor not only implored voters to get out despite those frigid temperatures, but also seemingly beginning to step up his criticism and his attacks on former president donald trump, who holds a very big a lead, not only here in iowa but also nationally. we heard ron at the centre saying that voters deserve a candidate who will fight for their issues, not his own issues. he also repeated alone, saying the

donald trump was not able to fulfil the promises that he made while he was in office as president. i had the chance to ask the governor whether or not this is part of a new strategy to try to close the big apple and here is what he told me. you are more forethought than in your criticism of donald trump also are you to fully take the gloves off?- trump also are you to fully take the gloves off? this is a misnomer — take the gloves off? this is a misnomer that _ take the gloves off? this is a misnomer that somehow - take the gloves off? this is a misnomer that somehow i i take the gloves off? this is a i misnomer that somehow i have not held — misnomer that somehow i have not held him accountable. i have — not held him accountable. i have been doing this for months. it is what people want to cover— months. it is what people want to cover or— months. it is what people want to cover or not cover. i can say _ to cover or not cover. i can say his— to cover or not cover. i can say his failure to deliver on his promises, that isjust not something that any conservative media _ something that any conservative media was to talk about. it does — media was to talk about. it does not _ media was to talk about. it does not get picked up. we haven't_ does not get picked up. we haven't seen stuff the whole time, — haven't seen stuff the whole time, because it isjust true. with— time, because it isjust true. with anthony about you, the debts, — with anthony about you, the debts, not the swamp, not building _ debts, not the swamp, not building the wall, all that stuff_ building the wall, all that stuff has been something we have — stuff has been something we have is— stuff has been something we have is the whole time. i think that— have is the whole time. i think that he — have is the whole time. i think that he claims he is a 50 point to we — that he claims he is a 50 point to we will— that he claims he is a 50 point to we will see what happens

tomorrow. a to we will see what happens tomorrow— to we will see what happens tomorrow. ., ., ., , tomorrow. a lot of what people are trying _ tomorrow. a lot of what people are trying to — tomorrow. a lot of what people are trying to measure - tomorrow. a lot of what people are trying to measure here - tomorrow. a lot of what people are trying to measure here is i are trying to measure here is the level of enthusiasm for the top candidates, whether or not they can inspire their voters to turn out, given the below zero temperatures and you can see the breath coming out, it is cold even in this room. we saw that enthusiasm here tonight, it was loud and a crowd for ron desantis. they came out _ crowd for ron desantis. they came out tonight, _ crowd for ron desantis. they came out tonight, presumably means they will turn tomorrow night as well?— night as well? yes, the thing about this — night as well? yes, the thing about this caucus, _ night as well? yes, the thing about this caucus, even - night as well? yes, the thing | about this caucus, even when the weather is good, every vote really does matter. voters here have a chance to affect the outcome. we have seen that with reflect evangelical voters, minority voters will also be coming out, maybe in smaller numbers, but they will have their voices heard as well.

they could have a chance to affect what we see here in iowa. i spoke with the co—founder of the brown and black presidential forum, co—founder of the brown and black presidentialforum, he black presidential forum, he told black presidentialforum, he told me a bit more earlier about what kind of role he thinks minority voters may have any final outcome here in iowa and also further along the campaign trail. what role do you think black and brown voters will have in this presidential election and the general election in 202a? it general election in 2024? it will be very important because they— will be very important because they are — will be very important because they are beginning to question everything, people say wait a minute, _ everything, people say wait a minute, i_ everything, people say wait a minute, i don't believe this, 20%— minute, i don't believe this, 20% of— minute, i don't believe this, 20% of spanish people are supporting trumpquake people are questioning what they see. they— are questioning what they see. they are — are questioning what they see. they are looking at those numbers. i believe we get out and vote, _ numbers. i believe we get out and vote, we still call the shots _ and vote, we still call the shots. republican primary, the numbers— shots. republican primary, the numbers that we are getting right— numbers that we are getting right now, we must be important.

right now, we must be important-— right now, we must be important. right now, we must be imortant. . , ., important. that is right, and as we see. _ important. that is right, and as we see, those _ important. that is right, and as we see, those results - important. that is right, andj as we see, those results will be coming in tomorrow and the voters are going out to the caucuses and we will have to see how many actually make it. joining me now is congressman mike collins. he represents georgia's tenth district. he is also a surrogate for donald trump in the 2024 presidential race. he has come along to talk to us the night before the caucus. you have heard for ron desantis says about donald trump, accusing him of not fulfilling his campaign promises the first time around. what do you say to that? it time around. what do you say to that? , ., , . that? it is evident that since 2016, through _ that? it is evident that since 2016, through this _ that? it is evident that since 2016, through this past - 2016, through this past election, over 70% of the caucus is made up of america first representatives. the people that ran on the donald trump agenda from his first term in office and when he got elected, sure, he did have the majority of the house, but now he has got a majority of republicans in the house that

understand and approve and back and push his agenda. that understand and approve and back and push his agenda.— and push his agenda. that is the difference. _ and push his agenda. that is the difference. there - and push his agenda. that is the difference. there is - and push his agenda. that is the difference. there is no l the difference. there is no guarantee he will have them in the house on election day if he is elected. you are all out on the campaign trail. the caucus is tomorrow, what is the former presidentjulie tonight? how was he feeling? president julie tonight? how was he feeling?— was he feeling? feels good, “ust like was he feeling? feels good, just like everybody - was he feeling? feels good, just like everybody else, - was he feeling? feels good, i just like everybody else, even a thorogood forum, we are all out there making sure that people understand it is important. tomorrow could be a good day, a big day, and put this thing to rest. when you have people standing in line outside in the weather, hundreds of people, just to get inside to see a former president, donald trump, and when you have to have a spill over into another room, i think thatis over into another room, i think that is an endorsement from the people of our you are on who they really want to be the republican nominee and the next president of this country. tomorrow night could put a lot of this arrest and get through

the primary and get ready and start focusing on general election. start focusing on general election-— start focusing on general election. , , ., ._ election. the spillover may have been _ election. the spillover may have been because - election. the spillover may have been because the - election. the spillover may i have been because the former president cancelled his rallies and he was only doing that one today because of the bad weather. about the bad weather, you are from georgia, not used to this cold weather and neither am i. the advice from officials is not to leave your house tomorrow night and yet you and the campaign are telling people to leave your house. ~ ., , telling people to leave your house. ~ . , telling people to leave your house. . house. what is your message? we do not have _ house. what is your message? we do not have any — house. what is your message? we do not have any other _ house. what is your message? we do not have any other option. - do not have any other option. it is the way the election system is set up, it is the caucus. we encourage people to get out and participate. you can do that safely. if you don't know how, then i would not recommended, obviously people around tonight. i am from south georgia and you could have left the weather report off. it is cold up here but it was nothing for us to spend two hours to get here. to let the people of iowa no who

we are supporting, president trump and how important it is and how much they can affect the rest of the primary and get ready for the general election by showing up tomorrow night and helping us get donald trump and helping us get donald trump a huge victory here in our you are. ~ ., a huge victory here in our you are. ~ . ., ., are. we have heard from the --eole are. we have heard from the people in _ are. we have heard from the people in iowa _ are. we have heard from the people in iowa about - are. we have heard from the people in iowa about the - are. we have heard from the i people in iowa about the issues that matter to them. a large rural community here, farmers, pig farmers. a lot of isolated communities as well. environmental issues matter. what can the former president do for the people of iowa? he can bring _ do for the people of iowa? he: can bring back the policies he had in his first term that have been all stripped away by the biden administration. i don't think it takes a rocket scientist to see just how the trump administration and the trump administration and the trump policies lifted everybody, no matter what you did or your agenda or your race was, everybody was lifted up and had opportunities to do what he said he would never get

tired of, and that was winning. he look at today with our border wide open, an invasion on the southern border, every state in this country is now a border state. state in this country is now a borderstate. looking state in this country is now a border state. looking at inflation because we got rid of our energy independence, and inflation is sky high. inflation may have come down a hair that people buy things based on prices and prices are still high. at the end of the day, people will at their pocketbook and that is where they will make their decisions, and i am telling you they will looking there is they want the trump policies back. irate looking there is they want the trump policies back.- trump policies back. we have seen the former— trump policies back. we have seen the former president i seen the former president campaign a little bit more in recent days. is he concerned about the surge we are seeing nikki haley make in new hampshire? it nikki haley make in new hampshire?— nikki haley make in new hampshire? it is election season- _ hampshire? it is election season. it _ hampshire? it is election season. it is _ hampshire? it is election season. it is time - hampshire? it is election season. it is time to i hampshire? it is election season. it is time to getl hampshire? it is election | season. it is time to get it on. it is time to get out there and get after it. we have gone through the holiday season, gotten through christmas and new year, and it is time to get to the business of getting a

new president in the white house. :, , , house. how distracting is it for the former _ house. how distracting is it for the former president i house. how distracting is it | for the former president and the whole team that he faces four different sets of criminal charges, investigations into the interaction, a whole host of other legal issues? it is funny because _ of other legal issues? it is funny because we - of other legal issues? it is funny because we have i of other legal issues? it 3 funny because we have known donald trump for 50 years, 40 years, however long you have known him, and he has always been loved and admired. he is a brilliant businessperson and now since he has been a great residence, now all of a sudden he is the worst thing that ever walked the earth. people understand a lot of that is bogus and it will be dispatched.- bogus and it will be dispatched. bogus and it will be disatched. , . , dispatched. these are charges that have been _ dispatched. these are charges that have been brought i dispatched. these are charges. that have been brought through the justice channels in this country. the justice channels in this count . , , ., country. they sure have. he will win on _ country. they sure have. he will win on those. _ country. they sure have. he will win on those. when i country. they sure have. he will win on those. when youj will win on those. when you have that much push against you, the american people can see through that. they will see straight through that. you take the one in georgia, for example, how that is falling apart right now. he will come

through at the end of the day. the american people are supporting him, it is obviously supporting him, it is obviously supporting him. he has a chance here to actually break the record on the largest vote tally he could get. percentagewise. do you think that will happen? iltrui’ith percentagewise. do you think that will happen?— percentagewise. do you think that will happen? with the bad weather have _ that will happen? with the bad weather have an _ that will happen? with the bad weather have an impact? i i that will happen? with the bad | weather have an impact? i don't know. who knows about how the weather will impact? if you look at polling data and how they harry froling here in iowa, everybody knows he is on top. it isjust iowa, everybody knows he is on top. it is just how much on top will he be? top. it isjust how much on top will he be?— will he be? we will wait to see tomorrow. _ will he be? we will wait to see tomorrow, won't _ will he be? we will wait to see tomorrow, won't we? - will he be? we will wait to see tomorrow, won't we? it i will he be? we will wait to see tomorrow, won't we? it will i will he be? we will wait to see | tomorrow, won't we? it will be a ureat tomorrow, won't we? it will be a great day- — tomorrow, won't we? it will be a great day. thank— tomorrow, won't we? it will be a great day. thank you - tomorrow, won't we? it will be a great day. thank you very i a great day. thank you very much for — a great day. thank you very much forjoining _ a great day. thank you very much forjoining us - a great day. thank you very much forjoining us on i a great day. thank you very much forjoining us on bbcl much forjoining us on bbc news. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news in the uk. thousands attended a pro—israel rally in london to mark 100 days since the 7 october attacks and called for the release of all hostages from gaza. people gathered in trafalgar square carrying israeli flags

and holding pictures of some of the 132 people still believed to be being held. the french coastguard says five people attempting to cross the english channel in a small boat died early on sunday morning. it's understood more than 70 people, including children, were on board when the boat got into difficulty in french waters. dozens were rescued. on saturday, the british authorities brought about 50 migrants ashore in what was the first attempt to cross the english channel since the middle of december. six people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to disrupt the london stock exchange. scotland yard says activists from the palestine action group were allegedly plotting to target the building to prevent its opening tomorrow. you're live with bbc news. sunday marked 100 days since hamas launched its attack

on israel when more than 1200 people were killed. the attacks sparked israel's deadliest war against hamas to date. over 200 people have been taken hostage and are now captive in gaza. the families of those hostages held a 24—hour rally in tel aviv, renewing calls that the remaining 132 hostages be returned home. hamas has released footage showing three of the hostages seized on 7 october. in the footage, the woman and two men appeal for israeli authorities to take action to ensure their release. it's unclear when the footage was filmed. this is a still taken from that footage. meanwhile, israel's military campaign has reduced much of gaza to rubble with the hamas—run health ministry saying that in the last 24 hours, 125 people have been killed in fresh attacks. more than 23,000 palestinians have been killed since the war began. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu remains defiant in his stance to continue

the war until a "total "victory". wyre davies reports. a solemn commemoration as israel marked its most traumatic period since independence 75 years ago. over 24 hours, thousands of people gathered in tel aviv in a collective sense of grief to mourn the dead of october 7 and to support the families of those abducted to gaza 100 days ago. there's three generations of my family that has been disappeared. three generations of my family that disappeared. and the world is keeping silence and asking us to stop and stay calm. i cannot... i cannot get it any more. many here say that october 7 changed israel forever. israelis feel more vulnerable than ever. and while their priority remains releasing the remaining hostages, they support their government's war aims in gaza and there are very few voices now calling for tolerance and coexistence.

just after dawn 100 days ago, thousands of heavily armed hamas fighters stormed through the border fence, attacking kibbutzes, military bases and a music festival. 1,200 people were killed along the length of the border as israeli defences were caught completely by surprise. images of hundreds of young music—loving peaceniks fleeing of their lives at the nova festival shook israel to its core. more than 360 people were killed here. dozens were abducted to gaza. later that same day, israel embarked on an unprecedented bombing campaign in gaza. its goal — the complete destruction of hamas and its support structure. much of the territory, from gaza city in the north to khan younis in the south,

has been destroyed. and the number of civilians killed in gaza has been huge — very nearly 24,000 dead, according to the hamas—run health ministry, many of them women and children. it's a situation the un's humanitarian chief has described as "intolerable". faten abu shahada needs regular kidney dialysis and her family has been forced to move south, home now a plastic tent in khan younis. translation: gaza j has been destroyed. there is no gaza left. no hospitals, no education. our children have lost their school year. gaza is no longer alive. it's not alive anymore. israel says it won't stop fighting until hamas is completely defeated. the war could continue for weeks, perhaps months. the immediate future across the region, and especially in gaza,

looks very bleak. wyre davies, bbc news. reports from yemen say that there have been more strikes on sites under the control of the houthis. a houthi—controlled news website says air strikes have again hit the port city of hudaydah but the us central command has confirmed that the strikes have not come from the us or its coalition partners involved in 0peration prosperity guardian, which carried out a number of targeted strikes in recent days on houthi positions in yemen, though the us has confirmed that it shot down a houthi missile fired towards an american ship in the red sea. the uk is also a key part of the us led operation in the red sea. a volcano has erupted near the fishing town of grindavik in the south—west of iceland. these pictures from a little earlier today show some houses set on fire by the molten lava. this eruption follows a similar eruption in the same area last month but this time, it's much closer to the town. people living in homes nearby have already left the area

and local authorities have declared an emergency. grindavik lies about 40km from iceland's capital, reykjavik. 0ur correspondentjessica parker has the latest. this was a worst—case scenario that's now unfolding in front of the world's eyes. a wave of molten rock is carving its way into what was a thriving fishing town. grindavik�*s been evacuated — again — but abandoned homes and businesses lie in the path of an overwhelming natural force. this, it appears, was the first house to fall. translation: while this i is a bit surreal to watch your family home just disappear, i'm still realising what's happening. trucks building defensive barriers against the lava suddenly found it surging towards them. fiery liquid burst out into the open on sunday morning. another fissure then tore up through the earth.

translation: today is a black day for grindavik and today i is a black day for iceland but the sun will rise again. together, we will deal with this shock, whatever may happen. we reported from grindavik back in november, before eruptions began. people had to pack up their belongings as earthquakes ripped the town apart. this is now the second eruption on the reykjanes peninsula within a month and follows several others in recent years. before that, this part of iceland hadn't seen volcanic activity for 800 years. there was a period called the reykjanes fires, and that's when multiple fissures just opened up on the peninsula, kind of sporadically, and did pretty much what we're seeing today. and then, it went quiet for 800 years and then, it now seems, since 2021, we've began a sort of new volcanic era.

people here are no strangers to earthquakes and eruptions but this kind of potential destruction of people's homes and livelihoods hasn't happened for half a century. translation: i think the point is that we've had quite a lot i of experience in dealing with this, even though this is perhaps the most serious threat of volcanic eruptions in iceland since january 1973. the land of fire and ice is an endless display of nature's awesome power. this time, what's playing out makes for an astounding but awful sight. jessica parker, bbc news. the swearing—in of guatemala's anti—corruption president—elect bernardo arevalo has been delayed by his opponents in congress amid tense scenes outside.

his supporters have been threatening to storm the chamber unless deputies move forward. they say there's a last—ditch attempt to keep him from power in central america's largest country, which has been plagued by corruption for years. mr arevalo — who won august's vote by a wide margin — has faced numerous legal challenges brought by an attorney general seen as loyal to the previous administration. he's called these challenges an attempted coup. washington has threatened sanctions against guatemalan officials unless the transition of power is allowed. to denmark now, where huge crowds have gathered to see their new king crowned on sunday. tens of thousands of people turned out to watch king frederik x succeed his mother as monarch in a historic moment for the nation. blinking back tears, king frederik told a cheering crowd outside christiansborg castle that he hoped to become "a unifying king" for the future. his mother became the first danish monarch to abdicate in over 800 years. thanks for watching. stay with us here on bbc news. iowa throughout the day on monday. we will be here with coverage of the caucuses throughout the day on bbc news and join me and the team

in the evening for the results live as they come in. we will have lots of debate, analysis and those all—important results. in the meantime, do keep tuned on bbc news dot com/ news. thank you very much for watching. hello. we have got a cold, wintry week of weather ahead. we may well see a bit of disruption down to the fact that we've got plenty of snow showers in the forecast, particularly towards the north — mainly across parts of scotland, in fact. fewer showers around further south but it is going to be cold and we're going to see some sharp overnight frosts. could be some icy conditions around, too. cold weather down to the fact that low pressure is out towards the east of the uk, opening the doors for these cold winds to come in from

the arctic, so i think wind chill will be a significant factor through the next couple of days. next few hours, more of those snow showers pack in, particularly across the north of scotland. temperatures overnight are falling to —2 or —3 widely, even in our towns and cities — colder than that in the countryside. through monday, then, more snow showers across the northern half of scotland, gales up towards shetland still and some snow and icy conditions across northern ireland, so we have got yellow warnings in force here. could be the odd wintry shower around exposed parts of these irish sea coasts, perhaps around the east coast of england, down towards norfolk and the north york moors. temperatures for most of us about 2—5 degrees but when you add on that wind chill, it is going to feel bitterly cold. it'll feel more like —7 or even —8 across the north—east of scotland. as we continue through monday evening and overnight into tuesday, we're watching this area of low pressure, this weather system, which moves its way from west to east across the northern half of the uk. now, that could cause a bit of disruption on tuesday. tuesday morning, we're expecting snow to be quite persistent through the central belt of scotland — could be about 2—5cm

of snow here, pushing slowly across scotland. across the higher ground, there could be 10cm to even 20cm of snow on tuesday. a mix of rain, sleet and snow for northern ireland and for northern england, too. we've got some sleet, some snow over the higher ground. it looks drier with some sunshine further south but tuesday, again, feels cold wherever you are. into the middle of the week, we're keeping a close eye on this area of low pressure. most of the computer models keep it over france but we've got the cold air in place with those northerly winds across the uk. if this system's a bit further north, we could see some snow around southern counties of england for a time, but i think it will predominantly be heavy snow showers again for the north of scotland, northern ireland and around any of those coasts exposed to that northerly wind. it is going to feel cold again, not quite as windy, but temperatures only a few degrees above freezing. more wintry showers for many of us on thursday. perhaps a little milder for some of us, though, by friday.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. does israel's continued military assault on gaza represent an act of genocide? thanks to south africa's

intervention, the question is now before the international court ofjustice in the hague, something which most israelis have greeted with a mix of disgust and disdain. my guest today is gideon levy, journalist, commentator and long—time critic of his own country's leaders. three months into this war, prompted by hamas's attack on southern israel, what has happened to the israeli mindset? gideon levy in tel aviv, welcome to hardtalk. thank you.

it's such a pleasure to be back in hardtalk with you,